LADY SAINTS HEADING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Hutchinson, KS - Seward County Volleyball advances to the NJCAA National Championship with a 3-2 thrilling win over #2 Miami-Dade College.  This marks the first National Championship Appearance for Seward County when they face-off against #1 Navarro College Saturday night at 6:30 pm.

The rematch of #2 vs #3 lived up to the billing as both teams came out firing in the first set.  Neither team was able to gain more than a 2-point advantage as both teams were even at 14.  The Saints were able to gain a small advantage after back-to-back aces by Livia De Pra pushing the Saints to a 19-16 lead.  The Saints were able to keep this advantage and after Yanlis Feliz finished home an attach, won the first set 25-20. The Lady Saints relied on five serving aces in the first set alone.

In the second set, the Lady Saints were able to keep the momentum going, jumping out to an 11-5 lead after kills by Ariana Arciniega and Djuly Schmorantz. After a Miami-Dade timeout, the teams would trade points and the score remained a 6-point advantage for the Saints all the way till 22-16.  The Lady Saints made one final push behind Schmorantz with her only block of the match on set point, 25-18 Seward.

The Lady Sharks would not go quietly and in the third set, the teams looked as evenly matched as possible, staying within 3 points all the way into the 20s.  However, the Lady Sharks capitalized on Sewards 9 errors to win set 3.  Sewards sloppy play continued into the 4th set and let Miami-Dade open up a bit of a lead at 11-19 and 13-21.  After a timeout by Seward, the Lady Saints put on a heck of a rally to regain the momentum. Behind great defense, the Saints got as close as 22-23, but the Lady Sharks were able to overcome and win the final two points, beating the Saints 25-22.

In the biggest set in Lady Saints history, Seward was ready to capitalize on an opportunity. Yanlis Feliz and Djuly Schomorantz each scored two points to push the Saints to an 8-3 early lead, a lead they would not ever lose.  The Saints won set 5 15-8 on a kill from none other than Yanlis Feliz.  

Yanlis Feliz finished with 21 kills, 14 digs, and 5 blocks. Laura De Pra was the quarterback of it all with 55 kills.  Grecia Soriano led the defense with 17 digs.

#3 seed Seward County will face off against undefeated and #1 Navarro College for the National Championship at 6:30 pm CST. Follow the Saints at SewardSaints.com